Charlotte MLS team name announcement expected in June
Charlotte MLS won’t be ‘Charlotte MLS’ much longer. The city’s new Major League Soccer team is expected to announce its official name and colors next month, according to Tepper Sports & Entertainment President Tom Glick.
“This is a very important moment in the formation of our new club for the city and for the region,” Glick told Sports Business Journal. “We’ve been monitoring and thinking about when the right time to introduce it would be.”
The club did not disclose a specific date for the announcement.
It had previously considered releasing its new name and colors in late March, but postponed the unveiling due to disruptions brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.
“What’s clear to us right now is not only is there a hunger for the return of sport and watching sport, there’s a hunger and anticipation for this moment for this new club,” Glick said.
Team officials said they are still moving forward with plans to begin the the inaugural season in 2021 despite the suspension of the 2020 MLS season due to COVID-19. Charlotte MLS scouting, academy development and facility construction efforts are continuing, according to franchise officials. The team will play its matches at Bank of America Stadium, which is also slated to undergo construction for soccer-related activities.
In December, Panthers and Charlotte MLS team owner David Tepper announced that he would build the soccer team’s headquarters at the former Eastland Mall site in Charlotte, lured by a $110 million commitment from the city for the franchise.
Planning is underway for the rezoning of the 70-acre plot of land at the Eastland site for the team’s headquarters and practice facilities, as well as homes, a two-acre public park, shops and restaurants, but there is no official word yet on when the redevelopment will be complete as city and community discussions about the process are ongoing.
In terms of the team’s initial roster, that too is still in its early stages, but team scouts are looking to ideally begin signing players during the league’s Secondary Transfer Window this summer, according to Charlotte MLS scouting director Thomas Schaling. However, Schaling said that the majority of player signings will likely come in the winter just before the 2021 preseason in early January.
That means the city’s soccer fans will have to wait to learn player names to cheer, but they soon should have a long-awaited team name to shout from the stands.
